Pet care specialist Pets at Home has confirmed that it is pausing the sale and adoption of rabbits at all of its 457 stores nationwide over the Easter weekend.
This movement will be in place from Good Friday until Easter Monday (April 7-10) and has been taken to help put a stop to seasonal impulse purchases and adoptions driven by the celebrations.
In addition to this, Pets at Home is also hosting a series of its free 30-minute My Pet Pals workshops over the school holidays to educate families on responsible ownership of small animals.
Taking place in most stores across the country from Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 16 (excluding Easter Sunday), children will have the chance to meet small furry friends and learn how to properly care for them.
They’ll also enjoy a range of interactive activities including making a foraging box.
All children that take part will receive an activity sheet to take away and a special My Pet Pals certificate for completing the workshop.
Karlien Heyrman, head of pets at Pets at Home, said: “We’ve paused the sale of rabbits over the Easter weekend for a number of years.
“It’s one important step we take to help play our part in reducing impulse decisions over the festive period and promote responsible pet ownership, along with hosting the My Pet Pals workshops.
“There are many loving homes ready to welcome a pet into their family which is wonderful, but it’s also important that owners make an informed decision that is right both for them and their potential pet.
“Rabbits in particular can have more complex needs, including specific dietary and environment requirements, and our pet care advisors are trained to help owners understand these.
“We want to help as many pets into caring families as possible so the more we can do to help owners make the right choice for them, the better.”
Between April 1-10, Pets at Home customers can also donate as little as 50p to its Easter appeal in store and online, with money raised going to local charities and the Pets at Home Foundation.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here